What is GA4?
Nicklas Segatz Mortensen · Growth Hacker · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads Nerd · 8 July 2026 · 3 min.
Definition
GA4 (Google Analytics 4) is Google's analytics platform where all measurement is built around events rather than page views, and where web and app can be measured in a single property.
Also called: GA4, Google Analytics 4, Analytics
Sådan virker det
GA4 (Google Analytics 4) er event-baseret: alt er hændelser frem for sidevisninger. Det giver en mere fleksibel, tragt-orienteret måling på tværs af web og app — men kræver korrekt opsætning af events og konverteringer for at være til at stole på.
01Event-based rather than page views
Where the old Universal Analytics thought in sessions and page views, GA4 thinks in events: a page view, a click, a purchase — everything is an event with parameters. That gives a more flexible, funnel-oriented measurement and unifies web and app in one model. But it also means the quality depends entirely on how events and conversions are set up.
GA4 is strong for understanding behavior and building funnels, but it shouldn't stand alone as the verdict on ad performance — its attribution has the same blind spots as any other model. We use it for insight into the customer journey and validate budget decisions against MER and incrementality.
Frequently asked questions
What's the biggest difference between GA4 and Universal Analytics?+
GA4 is event-based (everything is an event), where Universal Analytics was session- and page-view-based. GA4 also unifies web and app and is built for a more privacy-conscious, cookieless future.
Can I steer ad budget by GA4?+
Use it for insight into the customer journey and funnels, but not as the sole verdict. GA4's attribution has the same blind spots as other models — validate budget decisions against blended numbers (MER) and incrementality.
Related terms
Glossary
What is attribution?
Attribution is the method that distributes the credit for a conversion across the touchpoints the customer met along the way. The model decides which channel gets the credit — and therefore where budget flows.
Read the entry →Glossary
What are enhanced conversions?
Enhanced conversions is a Google Ads feature that supplements conversion data with hashed first-party information (like email), so Google can better match conversions to the clicks that created them.
Read the entry →Glossary
What are UTM parameters?
UTM parameters are small tags you add to the end of a link (source, medium, campaign and more), so analytics tools can record which source, channel and campaign a visitor came from.
Read the entry →
Nicklas Segatz Mortensen
Growth Hacker · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads Nerd at Oaksmond
Growth hacker and fractional CMO with 10+ years' experience and hundreds of millions in managed ad spend behind him. Background from larger Danish and international scale-ups, and from the agency world.
Meet the team →